Dear friends,

The world seems very dark right now, and I’m sometimes asked how the Avaaz team keeps hope amid the heartbreak.

And the truth is -- it’s hard. From the horror of Gaza to uncontrollable wildfires, the rise of the far-right to species snuffed out, the pain of the world is with us every single day. But here’s the thing: hope isn’t just something you feel. It’s something you do.

On that measure, Avaaz is FULL of hope. Whether it’s funding safehouses for the LGBTQ+ community in Uganda, powering massive Indigenous protests to protect the Amazon, or standing against hate in key elections, this movement is tirelessly taking action for the future we dream of -- not despite the darkness, but because of it. 

Below is a recap of some of things that our team is proudest of from 2023. I hope you find it as inspiring as I do.

And as we start to think about 2024, there’s one thing you could do that would REALLY help. Avaaz relies entirely on small donations for everything we do. If you could chip in just a little now, it will help us keep spreading hope in the dark next year, and beyond.

We powered life-saving rescues in Syria

When two shattering earthquakes left thousands trapped under the rubble, our movement responded in hours. We raised over $4 million to fund emergency care, rescue operations, and life-saving aid in some of the worst hit parts of Syria. Our support directly helped save the lives of 3,000 people in just the first few days.


We're supercharging an Amazon uprising

As oil drilling invades the rainforest, we're supporting Indigenous communities to fight back. They've protected the Amazon for millennia -- now we're helping leaders to plan, march, and influence global treaties on rainforest protections. Over 9 million Avaazers signed the People's Declaration for the Amazon, and we took over the New York skyline to land the message:


At the Amazon Summit in Brazil, dozens of us prepared meals and translated for Indigenous leaders, ensuring they could speak for the rainforest. In Peru, our movement united to help block a deadly "genocide bill" that threatened Indigenous communities and the forest they protect. And this month our community enabled dozens of Indigenous leaders to be at the COP28 climate talks, working with Avaaz campaigners to hold our leaders' feet to the fire!



We're going all-out for peace in Gaza

Within hours of the October 7 attacks, Avaaz was in contact with mediators, sharing the blueprint of a deal to stop the violence and secure the release of Palestinian detainees and Israeli hostages. When it happened, it was mediation -- not missiles -- that created a temporary ceasefire and freed dozens of people in captivity.

We also partnered with Amnesty USA to stage a powerful stunt in front of the White House calling for an immediate ceasefire. And, thanks to almost 60,000 donors, we've already sent over half a million euros in life-saving aid to Palestine. For many of us, this campaign is truly personal, and we won't stop until there's a permanent ceasefire, equal rights for the Palestinian people, and peace for all.


We funded safe houses for the LGBTQ+ community

In May, activists in Uganda sounded the alarm about a vicious new 'anti-gay' law. The response from this community was extraordinary. As LGBTQ+ people were being hunted down, our movement stepped in to fund safe houses, medical care, and legal support. We're also a major funder in the ongoing constitutional court challenge to overturn the horrifying law.

We're supporting brave young people putting the worst polluters on trial

Faced with the biggest threat to life on Earth, our leaders are failing. Now young people in Europe and the US are taking their governments to court, and our movement is helping them to win. We're funding legal costs, evidence collection, and research to prove key arguments. Working alongside partner groups, we're also helping to ensure both cases grab global headlines, showing judges the whole world is watching!


We're going after Putin

When we heard about thousands of children being stolen from Ukraine, we ramped up our campaigning for Putin to be charged with war crimes. The ICC put out a warrant for his arrest -- so when Putin planned on attending an international meeting in South Africa, Avaaz members funded giant billboards calling for him to be arrested. Putin didn't dare show up in person, and is now even more isolated from the global community. Let’s keep up the pressure, it works.


We're blowing the whistle on atrocities in Sudan

Shocked by reports of extreme violence, Avaaz members united to get the world's attention. Over 60,000 of us donated to fund journalists, investigators, and fact-checkers. We're helping to increase global media coverage and ensuring human rights abuses are documented, forcing governments to act. This vital work is ongoing.

We fought the far-right in Spain

When a snap election was called, Avaaz members went all-out to stop the politics of hate from entering government. We put up a giant billboard, and when the Vox party took us to court, our edited message got swept through social media. Our huge media campaign successfully helped to block the far-right in the elections. Almost half the world will go to the polls next year -- a major opportunity for us to fight for people and the planet!


We helped criminalise the mass destruction of nature

Over half a million of us called on the EU to make ecocide a crime, and thousands emailed the key decision-makers. It worked: after months of sustained action from Avaazers and partner organisations, we won! Now we're pushing to get this law adopted around the world!

We won an historic battle to make AI safer

As the creators of AI warned of an "existential risk" to humanity, a quarter million of us pushed the EU to ensure human rights were protected in its new AI law. After 3 years of campaigning by Avaaz and partner organisations, the EU has started working on safety regulations that will have ripple effects across the world! A lead EU negotiator told us that our work was instrumental in getting decision-makers to support the new protections.

None of this would have been possible without the Avaaz community.

Every time you opened an Avaaz email, signed a petition, sent a message to a minister, showed up at an action, or donated, you joined a powerful movement of millions demanding nothing less than transformational change.

So thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for being part of Avaaz.

In gratitude and fierce hope,

Bert, Nell, Adela, Kaitlin, Camille, Marigona, Jon, Barbara, Ana Sofia, Mike and the whole team at Avaaz

PS. This might be your first donation to our movement ever. But what a first donation! Did you know that Avaaz relies entirely on small donations from members like you? That's why we're fully independent, nimble and effective. Join the over 1 million people who've donated to make Avaaz a real force for good in the world.



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We send emails like this because they virtually guarantee our movement can have a direct impact in the world. We can't all be lawyers or frontline defenders fighting for the planet -- but we can fund direct impact at this crucial time. 

Here are 5 reasons to support Avaaz:

1. Your donations create real change in the world. Avaaz only raises funds through emails like this. It keeps our fundraising costs low, ensuring your donations are directly used in active campaigns that have proven impact in the world.
2. Avaaz is fiercely independent of any government or corporate funding. It means we can campaign on the most critical issues, without fear or favour. Everything we do is thanks to Avaaz members around the world. You.
3. Accountability is built into every single one of our campaigns. Annual member polls help to set our agenda, and we normally only run campaigns that receive a critical mass of support. You help to decide what we fight for, and how. We are fiercely democratic and people-power is in our DNA.
4. It works! We have an exceptional team, and operate in 21 languages to mobilise millions of people on the biggest challenges of our times. We strive for systemic change, not piecemeal solutions. For a dose of people-powered victories, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
5. We punch way above our weight. With a global movement of almost 70 million people, from every country on Earth, we ensure our voices are in the room, impacting the decisions that will shape our collective future.